


Those Blue Eyes

by myprodigalson (iAvenge_Nerds)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, M/M, School Reunion, brief reference of past homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-13
Updated: 2015-07-13
Packaged: 2018-04-09 04:56:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4334693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iAvenge_Nerds/pseuds/myprodigalson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Suddenly Steve was sixteen and being shoved around by nearly everyone. He caught sight of head of brown hair and the prettiest blue eyes he had ever seen.</p><p>He was seventeen and a half and getting beaten up behind the school, but he was saved by the brown-haired and blue-eyed hero of his dreams.</p><p>He was twenty-two and burying his mother, with only Sam and Sharon to keep him company. He thought of those blue eyes staring into his own in the hallway.</p><p>He was twenty-four and watching his future wife walk down the aisle, but he couldn’t help but think of those blue eyes.</p><p>He was thirty-one and holding his daughter, the last straw to hold him and Sharon together. He looked at her eyes, and for a second, they looked exactly the same shade as his.</p><p>He’s thirty-three and standing in his old homeroom with those blue eyes, and they’re all he can think about.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Those Blue Eyes

Steve sighed as he looked in the mirror. He hadn’t been this dressed up in a while. Not since his mother had died two years prior.

“Do we really have to go?” He asked Sam.

“It’s either this or poker night with Tony. Take your pick.”

Steve rolled his eyes as he straightened his tie for the fifth time that night. He combed his hair once more and overall made sure he looked alright for the third time that night. 

“I don’t feel comfortable leaving Sarah alone with Jane,” Steve lied. He was perfectly fine with leaving his daughter in Jane’s care. Sarah was less likely to die while with Jane than with him.

“That’s a lie and you know it,” Sam countered. “Look, all you have to do is show up, drink a little, and talk to people. You won’t die. Sarah won’t die. You’ll be fine,” he assured his friend.

Knowing that there was no use arguing with Sam, Steve grabbed his phone and headed out to the car. He made sure Jane knew Sarah’s schedule (bath at seven, in bed by eight, no sugar after her bath, and no food in general after seven-thirty) and kissed his daughter goodnight. 

“Sap,” Sam muttered.

Steve pretended not to hear anything.

\--

Thanks to traffic (and Sam’s bad navigating), they got to the reunion five minutes late, which felt like forever to two military personnel. As soon as Sam got his nametag, he moved towards crowds of people and left Steve near the entrance.

Steve awkwardly moved to the bar, trying to avoid as many people as possible, even if he didn’t hate them. He needed at least one drink in him before he started mingling and making awkward small talk (not that it did much; he had a pretty fast metabolism, so one drink didn’t do much.)

Once he had three drinks in him, he moved towards the congregations of people on the edge of the dance floor. He recognized a few people here and there, but most had picked on him or had never talked to him.

“Is that really Steve Rogers?” A loud, obnoxious voice called out over the calamity of awkward small talk.

Steve grimaced as he turned to face the source. Gilmore Hodge was slowly walking to him, beer in hand.

“Well, look who we have here. I thought you were skinny.”

“I guess I grew out of it.”

“So what do you do these days?” 

Steve knew he wanted to hear that he had gone the “starving artist in California” route, and Steve had the pleasure of announcing that he was not, in fact, a starving artist, but a Captain in the United States Army who is currently enjoying some time off to take care of his daughter, while also selling some original paintings. 

“Not much. I paint a bit, although most of my time is spent with my daughter. What have you been up to?” Steve knew he was going to regret asking that.

Gilmore Hodge had been the first person to pick on him in high school, and he hadn’t been the last. It hadn’t been too bad before his junior year, because everyone picked on him for being skinny. But after he came out, it got worse. At first, they had called him names and shoved him in the hallway, but it had quickly escalated to Steve getting the shit beat out of him behind the school. The one good thing that had come out of getting beat to shit was being saved by Bucky. Steve didn’t like being saved by anyone, but if he had to choose, he would choose Bucky. 

“I went to Harvard for a year, but decided it wasn’t for me. Joined the army, served overseas for eighteen months, then came back and started a business.” And just because he was Hodge and he couldn’t say anything without trying to make himself look better, he added, only half-joking, “I’m broke, but I still earn more than you. Although it’s not hard to earn more than an artist!”

“No it’s not, but I’m not an artist. I’m actually a Captain in the Army. I started off as a private, did two tours, then went to college, and became an officer. I just paint as a hobby. It helps pay the bills.”

Hodge stammered and stuttered, shocked that Steve, the scrawny kid he used to pick on, was a higher rank than he would ever be. Steve chuckled to himself as he walked away to find someone half-pleasant to talk to.

\--

On his way to find some friends, he ran into the one person he didn’t expect to see.

“Bucky?” Steve asked.

“Steve Rogers. Aren’t you supposed to be dead?” Bucky sounded astonished that he was seeing Steve in the flesh.

“I am, but they kicked me out,” he joked. 

“What’ve you been up to?” 

“Not a lot. Joined the army, made it to Captain after a couple tours and a few years in college.”

“What do you say we get out of here and grab a coffee?” He suggested. 

“I’d love to, but I can’t. My friend’s watching my daughter, and I can’t make her wait all night for me to get back.”

“Daughter?” Bucky’s faced dropped, but he tried to at least sound neutral.

“Yeah. My ex is out of town for a couple weeks so I get a whole month of just me and Sarah.” 

Bucky’s smile practically lit up the whole room after hearing that Steve wasn’t married.

“Then what do you say we grab a beer and head to Harrison’s old room?” 

“I’d love to.”

\--

Suddenly Steve was sixteen and being shoved around by nearly everyone. He caught sight of head of brown hair and the prettiest blue eyes he had ever seen.

He was seventeen and had come out to his mom after realizing that what he felt for Bucky was like what he had felt for Peggy, only stronger.

He was seventeen and a half and getting beaten up behind the school, but he was saved by the brown-haired and blue-eyed hero of his dreams.

He was eighteen and hugging Bucky goodbye, promising each other that they would stay in touch.

He was twenty-one and in Afghanistan, reading a letter from his mother. He thought about Bucky, wondering where his hero had gone.

He was twenty-two and burying his mother, with only Sam and Sharon to keep him company. He thought of those blue eyes staring into his own in the hallway.

He was twenty-four and watching his future wife walk down the aisle, but he couldn’t help but think of those blue eyes.

He was thirty-one and holding his daughter, the last straw to hold him and Sharon together. He looked at her eyes, and for a second, they looked exactly the same shade as his.

He’s thirty-three and standing in his old homeroom with those blue eyes, and they’re all he can think about.

\--

“So,” Steve said awkwardly. He felt comfortable with Bucky, but he couldn’t find a not-awkward way to ask if Bucky was single (he guessed he was, considering Bucky had asked him out for coffee, but it could’ve been a purely platonic gesture.) “What’ve you been up to?”

“I went to college, became a sergeant, now I work at my pop’s old hardware place while they find someone to replace me.”

“Are you seeing anyone?” Steve blurted. “I’m sorry. That’s none of my business.”

“No, it’s cool. And no, I’m actually not.”

They collapsed into an awkward silence, each waiting for the other to speak.

“Buck,” Steve said. Before the blond had anytime to process what was happening, Bucky had his lips on Steve’s and Steve was kissing him right back.

“I’ve wanted to do that since third grade,” Bucky admitted. 

“You know how I figured out I was bi?” Steve asked. Bucky cocked his eyebrow, and Steve continued, “I liked you the same way I liked Peggy, only stronger. And I figured out I loved you when all I pictured when Sharon walked down the aisle were your eyes.”

“Wanna get outta here for good?” Bucky asked.

“I’d love to.”

\--

The next time Steve stood at the end of aisle, he was staring into those blue eyes, and nothing had ever felt more right.


End file.
